Franciscan 87, Chatham 83

Franciscan Starters 
Sean Hickey, Josh Zimmerman, Aidan Hickey, Travis Lien, Yann Yonkeu

Chatham Starters 
Fiumara, Boyer, Gartley, Bomar, Cintron 

How It Happened 
    The Barons finished their regular season at home with a chance to re-take 6th place. It was an uncharacteristic Baron performance. Tonight, the Barons didn't need to rely on intense full court pressure. Tonight, their half court defense was up to the challenge. Strong rebounding and high percentage shooting brought them a 9 point lead with 2 minutes remaining in the first half. Sean Hickey had another stellar offensive performance scoring 32 points (18 at the half), which is beginning to feel like a norm. All the way down the line there were moments and stretches of stardom, but Colton Hage consistently shined above the rest. He was an efficient scorer shooting 5-9 on the game, and was everywhere the Barons needed him to be defensively. On multiple occasions, a Baron defender was out of position. Colton recognized and ran to cover his teammates mistake and prevent a score. The focus that Colton had on all 90 ft was exactly what the Barons needed to get over the hump and finish a close game against a tough opponent. 
    In the second half, Chatham found some early success going to their 6'10" center Pollock. With each play Pollock made, the Baron forwards responded and found ways to lock down Pollock. The efforts from Yann Yonkeu, Travis Lien, and Nicholas Allienello were exactly what the team was missing previously against Thiel. With just under 2 minutes remaining in regulation the game was tied. Sean Hickey drove the lane, and was fouled on his layup attempt. He sank both of his free throws. The Barons next offensive possession, Josh Zimmerman got an offensive rebound and found Travis Lien in the paint. Travis hit the close range jumper, putting the Barons up by 4. 5 seconds later, Josh Zimmerman got a steal, was immediately fouled, and hit both of his free throws. The Barons were back to leading by 4. Chatham's final possession, the Barons forced tough shots and prevented the ball handlers from getting any quick easy shots. The clock ran out on Chatham, and the Barons won 87-83.




Inside the Numbers 
-Sean Hickey scored 32 points, putting him 8 points away from becoming 3rd All-Time in scoring
-Josh Zimmerman had a double-double with 16 points an 10 rebounds. Josh led the Barons in rebounding
-Chatham is the first PAC opponent to beat Franciscan in turnover margin with the turnover count of 20-8
-Franciscan out-rebounded Chatham 44-34
-The Barons shot 24-26 from the free throw line

Up Next
Franciscan will play on Monday at home in the first round of the PAC Basketball Championship Tournament. They will play #10 Bethany. These two teams split their two conference matchups in the regular season with the road team winning each matchup. In Steubenville, Bethany won 103-100 in a thrilling up and down game. At Bethany, The Barons won in dominant fashion, by a score of 94-70. The Bison have played three less games than the Barons, as they were unable to make-up a handful of PAC matchups. 

Baron Summer Camps
Franciscan University Athletics is partnering with Steubenville Conferences to offer summer sports camps in conjunction with the Steubenville Main Campus 1 (June 9-12th, 2022) and 3 (June 23-26th, 2022). Youth Conferences. Participants will be able to strengthen both their athletic skills and their relationship with Christ in this uniquely Franciscan hybrid experience. Men's and Women's Basketball are just a couple of the sports that will be included, check out more info on our Baron Summer Camps Page.

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